Assessing urban flood resilience: a comprehensive framework with evidence from Melbourne

Abstract

Flooding in urban areas poses significant challenges due to rapid urbanization, population growth, and changing climate patterns. This study introduces a comprehensive flood resilience assessment framework tailored for the local government areas (LGAs) of Moonee Valley and Maribyrnong in Melbourne. By integrating hydrological modeling, spatial analysis, and socio-economic data, we developed a Flood Resilience Index (FRI) and an Integrated Flood Resilience Index (IFRI) to evaluate flood exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity across 474 urban units. Additionally, a Damage Index was introduced to estimate potential flood impacts, including property damage, infrastructure disruption, and economic losses, allowing a more detailed understanding of vulnerability and recovery capacity. Our findings reveal distinct spatial patterns in flood resilience, with higher exposure and sensitivity in certain areas due to socio-economic and environmental factors. Multi-scale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) was applied to examine the spatially varying relationships between flood resilience and its contributing factors, revealing significant local heterogeneity and providing important insights for targeted policy interventions. Despite limitations related to data scope and future scenario representation, this framework offers a robust tool for urban planners and policymakers to enhance flood resilience, optimize resource allocation, and implement effective mitigation strategies. Future research should incorporate dynamic data and community engagement to further refine resilience assessments and support sustainable urban development.